Elevating Airborne Surveillance with AirMaster C
Defence forces the world over are facing increasing challenges and constraints. At the heart of target detection, identification and surveillance missions is the ability to operate in any type of environment and in any weather conditions are forcing maritime, land and air forces to do more with less. In such context, AirMaster C, Thales’ latest airborne surveillance radar (Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance – ISR radar ) is designed to deliver low integration and operating costs, high availability and performance to set new standards.
AirMaster C, a compact radar easy to integrate
Multi-role helicopters - smaller, lighter than their combat counter-parts - but also, increasingly, small Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms, both including unmanned systems, are now at the forefront of these missions where every kilogram on the platform counts. The lighter the platform, the faster and the farther it goes and the more men or equipment it can carry onboard.
- The AirMaster C is designed, to truly minimise its footprint onboard platforms
- 30% lower size (volume), weight and power (SWaP) requirements compared to other market offers today.
- A true single design, including antenna and data processing, as opposed to needing an additional calculator onboard.
- One to three panels configuration adapted to any small and medium platforms (fixed and rotary wings, manned and unmanned)
The result is a radar that weighs less than 20kg and does not require the installation of any additional accompanying units onboard.
AirMaster C, a smart radar to see the unseen
The integration of the radar provides from 120 ° to 360 ° coverage, with a single or a multiple panel, depending on customer needs and constraints. Adaptable yet highly automated and performing, it will contribute to maintaining wide-area surveillance in any type of environment and in any weather conditions. It has been developed as a smart radar to take the burden away from the crew. Operators can focus on the outcomes of such processes for faster, more accurate decision-making.
- Provides 120° - 360° surveillance with multiple AESA fixed panel technology
- Automatic “4P Polarisation” for clarity of image
- Long and very close range simultaneous target detection
- Autonomous, self-learning and capable of analyzing and classifying large volumes of data
- Including predictive maintenance and health and usage monitoring system
Thales has built on the successfully proven experience of the Master Series radar (I-Master, SEARCHMASTER®) to deliver an ultra compact 2D AESA fixed-panel radar with state-of-the-art enhanced target detection capabilities.
The increasing complexity of the environments the crews are facing, the large magnitude of targets they need to search for, track and identify and the extensive technical capabilities of advance radar system create a huge volume of information and possibilities that can be overwhelming.
To assist the operators, Thales is incorporating trusted AI in its radar technology. The AI functions, encompassing automatic and intuitive adjustment of the radar, will enable ever greater quantities of data to be analysed and targets to be classified in a few tenths of a second. It will therefore lightens operators workloads and improve performances to provide our customers with the information superiority they need.
The AI functions are developed in permanent collaboration with our customers and can be directly integrated in our software defined radars enabling continuous improvement and learning over time.
